Aldrian could sense that the figure was smiling as he heard his question. The expression in his eyes gave it away clearly.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Well, I don’t know for certain, but I lean toward the guess that you might be one of my past lives. I believe that some of the visions I saw during my journey until this moment are your memories. Many mysterious visions appeared along with your voice, and I felt as though I could experience them clearly, as if they were my own memories," Aldrian replied.

"You might be an existence far more ancient than my past life as a great emperor. That past self of mine might have gained his power from you because he is you, or perhaps he received your inheritance or something similar, which would mean you are not one of my past lives."

"Moreover, you said that your identity is connected to me. You said, ’the past and future are connected. The past stays in the past, but it shapes the future. The future is yours to decide, while the past remains only as history.’ Those words resonate with my guess."

"Although I still don’t know the truth, at least I have reached that conclusion. How is it?" Aldrian smiled.

The figure could still be sensed smiling.

"Maybe yes, maybe no. It would not be entertaining if I simply told you the correct answer, right? You will come to understand everything in the future. If you are still alive and you reach your ’origin,’ then at that time, there will be no doubt left in your heart," he answered, which made Aldrian raise his eyebrows.

"My origin?"

The figure did not say anything about it anymore and simply sipped his tea. Aldrian knew that the figure would not answer, so he looked down at his own tea instead. He contemplated something for a moment before he opened his lips.

"I wonder if you could tell me the reason why I entered the reincarnation cycle when I was a great emperor. I already tried to ask Feng Xuanyan in the past, but she only said that it is related to something I am not certain about. Something I am searching for myself. What answer am I looking for that I had to enter the reincarnation cycle?"

"My answer is the same as hers. If I told you now, then all of this would be meaningless. This entire journey will only be complete if you realize it yourself in the end. Do not rush it. Just enjoy your journey, and you will eventually come to understand it," the figure replied.

"Enjoy my journey, huh? I don’t think I can enjoy it while those invaders are still infecting my universe," Aldrian said with a smile before he sipped his tea.

The figure did not respond and simply drank his tea as well.

"I am curious. Where do you come from? From what I understand, from the visions I saw, you always seem to be associated with the beginning of something. Everything about you feels primordial and grand," Aldrian asked.

"Do you have parents, a family, or any kind of relationship with anyone?"

"My answer to that question is yes and no. I have those connections, yet at the same time, I don’t have them. As for my origin, you will find it in the future," the figure answered, and Aldrian could sense a smirk behind those words.

He sighed. "You said before that you are dead and not dead at the same time, and now this." Then he shrugged.

"Well, whatever. I am just trying my luck anyway."

The figure’s eyes clearly showed an amused gaze upon hearing Aldrian’s words.

"Anyway, I like the way you have been doing your own thing all this time in the first heaven. That is how someone with power and responsibility should act. You put those weaklings in their place for threatening you and your people, and you did not forget your relationships with those around you," he said.

"Sometimes, people with great power forget everything around them, or even themselves. What do they use their power for? Where did their power come from? What is the purpose of their strength? Questions like these are often ignored. Seeing that you were not consumed by your own greed is... nice."

Then Aldrian felt that the figure’s gaze toward him turned warm. He did not know whether it was only his own perception or not, but that gaze truly felt warm.

As if it were a parent looking at a child. As if it were a master looking at a disciple. As if it were someone showing quiet pride upon seeing another meet their expectations.

"I am glad that you turned out to be a good person, and that everything is moving toward the best possible future," the figure added.

Aldrian could not help but be affected by those warm words, and a smile formed on his face.

"To be honest, I don’t like how you observe my life as if I were some kind of test subject. You said before that it has to do with your decision and that it would affect you. If it truly affects you, then at least you could help me. With your power, I believe I would not have to keep facing those invaders so tirelessly," he said.

"But oh well, I cannot judge something without understanding the full circumstances," he added.

The figure’s eyes showed that he was smiling.

"Well, if it were me in the past, just a single thought would be enough to erase all of those invaders. If I wished, I could even erase their universes. If my intent alone declared that they should disappear, then reality itself, along with all its laws, would make it so. From something into nothing."

Hearing that confident tone, Aldrian could not help but feel amazed. Erasing the invaders and entire universes with just a thought?

How powerful was this figure? How could such a being even exist in the first place? What was he? Who was he?

Compared to when he was a great emperor, how would he fare against this figure? He had never seen his past self fight at his full strength, as there had never been anyone capable of forcing him to that point. He had stood at the absolute peak.

Yet this figure seemed to exist on a level of his own. There was a possibility that this figure might be one of his past lives, but even so, he could not help but imagine what it would be like if they fought.

"And why are you asking for my help? Although it is not direct, the very foundation of your power comes from me, remember? You already possess my power, and you use it well. If you can survive until you reach your origin someday, you will reach my level... no, you might even surpass it," the figure said.

"You have something that I did not have, after all. Your journey until now is the key. Oh, did I just give you a clue?" he added, which made Aldrian raise his eyebrows.

His heart trembled.

Reaching a level beyond that? Did such power even exist?

And what clue was he talking about? What did his entire journey hold?

Aldrian took a deep breath to calm himself. At this moment, those thoughts were still far beyond his level. For now, at least, he knew what kind of power he might be able to reach in the future.

Aldrian sipped his tea before speaking with a slight smile.

"I just realized that we have talked for quite a while. It is not usual for you to spend this much time with me. This is the longest conversation we have ever had."

"Well, you succeeded in making the entire first heaven your domain, and it will take time for your body to adapt to your new power. Your consciousness will only return to your body after the power of the entire first heaven has settled within you," the figure answered.

"This is a good chance to talk to you while we still have time. It is a rare chance for us to talk, after all. I am also bored, since I don’t have anyone else to converse with."

Aldrian could not help but feel amused that such a figure could feel something as mundane as boredom.

"By the way, you will experience great changes as you make a breakthrough into the immortal realm. You will gain new authority over your domain, unlike before. With the first heaven becoming your domain, you can control everything within it, including how things function. You will understand it once you explore your domain’s power after you wake up," the figure continued.

"Congratulations, Aldrian. You have already become the god of the first heaven, even though you are still in the immortal realm." The figure’s tone was filled with amusement.

Aldrian shrugged. "Well, but that also means those invaders might go even crazier and become more determined to kill me than ever. The moment I step into the second heaven, if I am not careful, I might invite my own death."

"True, that is good thinking. You are not blinded by your power. You have to be careful in the higher heavens. They are different from the first heaven. The first heaven has not yet been fully conquered, but the higher heavens are different. They have already been taken over, and those so-called invading gods can use more of their tricks to hunt you," the figure said.

"But I believe you can face all those challenges. Use your power wisely, and you will be fine," he added.

Aldrian nodded. He already knew what he needed to do after stepping into the second heaven. He could not afford to spend as much time as he did in the first heaven.

The longer he remained in the second heaven, the higher the chance those gods would do something that could jeopardize him.

His life, and even his family, could be in danger.

"Anyway, I think this is enough for now. I am glad that we could converse like this, and that you have reached this point. Let us meet again in the future. I will wait for you, Aldrian. Once again, I believe in you. You will succeed, and you will reach your origin to learn the truth," the figure said, his eyes carrying a smile.

Before Aldrian could respond, his surroundings had already begun to change into his being’s essence.

The star in the distance drew closer, growing brighter than ever.

He sighed. He still wanted to continue the conversation with that figure, but it seemed he could only wait until the next time they met again.

He decided to do what he had always done in this place.

Cultivate.